Bt maize and fumonisin reduction in South Africa: Potential health impacts

This study examines the extent to which Bt hybrids could reduce mycotoxins at the village level. Although some studies have examined the impact of Bt hybrids on fumonisins on experiment stations both outside and inside South Africa (for example, Munkvold, Hellmich, and Rice 1999; De la Campa et al. 2005; Rheeder et al. 2005), no studies have focused on small farmers’ fields. The plan of this study was to sample ears of Bt maize and conventional maize after harvest to measure fungus and mycotoxin levels found on these ears in the regions of the Eastern Cape, where major health problems due to mycotoxins are found, as well as in KwaZulu-Natal, where we were already sur¬veying small farmers about their use of transgenic maize. Unfortunately, in one target region for the study in the Eastern Cape, Bt seed did not arrive in time for planting. In the other Eastern Cape location, the weather was so dry that virtually no maize was planted for several consecutive years. Hence, village-level results reported below are from KwaZulu-Natal alone.